Tor

Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept internet communications, or see where communications are coming from or going to.

In order to use the WikiLeaks public submission system as detailed above you can download the Tor Browser Bundle, which is a Firefox-like browser available for Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux and pre-configured to connect using the anonymising system Tor.

Tails

If you are at high risk and you have the capacity to do so, you can also access the submission system through a secure operating system called Tails. Tails is an operating system launched from a USB stick or a DVD that aim to leaves no traces when the computer is shut down after use and automatically routes your internet traffic through Tor. Tails will require you to have either a USB stick or a DVD at least 4GB big and a laptop or desktop computer.

Tips

Our submission system works hard to preserve your anonymity, but we recommend you also take some of your own precautions. Please review these basic guidelines.

1. Contact us if you have specific problems

If you have a very large submission, or a submission with a complex format, or are a high-risk source, please contact us. In our experience it is always possible to find a custom solution for even the most seemingly difficult situations.

2. What computer to use

If the computer you are uploading from could subsequently be audited in an investigation, consider using a computer that is not easily tied to you. Technical users can also use Tails to help ensure you do not leave any records of your submission on the computer.

3. Do not talk about your submission to others

If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. This includes other media organisations.

After

1. Do not talk about your submission to others

If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. This includes other media organisations.

2. Act normal

If you are a high-risk source, avoid saying anything or doing anything after submitting which might promote suspicion. In particular, you should try to stick to your normal routine and behaviour.

3. Remove traces of your submission

If you are a high-risk source and the computer you prepared your submission on, or uploaded it from, could subsequently be audited in an investigation, we recommend that you format and dispose of the computer hard drive and any other storage media you used.

In particular, hard drives retain data after formatting which may be visible to a digital forensics team and flash media (USB sticks, memory cards and SSD drives) retain data even after a secure erasure. If you used flash media to store sensitive data, it is important to destroy the media.

If you do this and are a high-risk source you should make sure there are no traces of the clean-up, since such traces themselves may draw suspicion.

4. If you face legal action

If a legal action is brought against you as a result of your submission, there are organisations that may help you. The Courage Foundation is an international organisation dedicated to the protection of journalistic sources. You can find more details at https://www.couragefound.org.

Submit documents to WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks publishes documents of political or historical importance that are censored or otherwise suppressed. We specialise in strategic global publishing and large archives.

The following is the address of our secure site where you can anonymously upload your documents to WikiLeaks editors. You can only access this submissions system through Tor. (See our Tor tab for more information.) We also advise you to read our tips for sources before submitting.

wlupld3ptjvsgwqw.onion

Copy this address into your Tor browser. Advanced users, if they wish, can also add a further layer of encryption to their submission using our public PGP key.

If you cannot use Tor, or your submission is very large, or you have specific requirements, WikiLeaks provides several alternative methods. Contact us to discuss how to proceed.

- D. Hanoi 694
1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The GVN views ASEAN as an important
framework for regional counterterrorism (CT) efforts and has
consistently voiced support for regional and multilateral
approaches. From Vietnam's perspective, the recently
concluded ASEAN Regional Forum intersessional meeting on
counterterrorism and transnational crime was "very
successful." However, the GVN does not appear to view a CT
leadership role for itself as "appropriate" for the
foreseeable future. The GVN does appear interested in
further pursuing CT on both multilateral and bilateral
tracks. END SUMMARY.
-----------------------------
COMMITTED TO COUNTERTERRORISM
-----------------------------
2. (U) In past ASEAN fora, Vietnam has demonstrated a firm
commitment to joint action on CT. At the Eighth ASEAN
Summit held in Phnom Penh last November, Prime Minister Phan
Van Khai noted the need for "further cooperation in the
fight against transnational crime, especially terrorism,
which is widely spreading in our region." At the Second
ASEAN Regional Forum Intersessional Support Group Meeting,
held in Hanoi in April 2002, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong
Phung (who co-chaired the meeting) stated the need for ASEAN
to adopt measures "to strengthen regional cooperation in
combating terrorism and transnational crimes." Last July's
35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Joint Communiqu "affirmed
ASEAN member countries' determination to enhance
counterterrorism cooperation. . ." This meeting also
resulted in the "Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat
International Terrorism between ASEAN and the U.S."
3. (SBU) According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs ASEAN
Department (MFA/ASEAN) expert Nguyen Thanh Huy, the GVN "is
fully committed" to the international struggle against
terrorism. (Note: Huy is a focal point for
counterterrorism issues within MFA/ASEAN. End note.) He
assessed the first ASEAN Regional Forum intersessional
meeting on counterterrorism and transnational crime March 20
- 22 in Kuala Lumpur as "very successful" from Vietnam's
perspective. Huy added that the GVN viewed the decision to
establish a regional CT center in Kuala Lumpur (ref c) was a
"major step forward." Huy opined that the meeting also
helped strengthen ASEAN consensus of opposing terrorism in a
"collective way." Separately, Bui Ngoc Anh, Senior
Researcher at the North America Studies Center of the
National Center for Social Sciences and Humanities,
commented that Vietnam had viewed the Kuala Lumpur meeting
as having a "positive impact" and "reinforcing the need" for
a multilateral framework to oppose terrorism.
4. (SBU) In addition to the MFA, the GVN's delegation to
the Kuala Lumpur meeting included officials from the
Ministry Of Defense, Ministry of Public Security, and the
General Customs Department. This was "significant,"
according to Huy (who also attended the meeting), because
delegates from different ministries could (and did) conduct
"considerable sideline conversations" with their respective
counterparts from other countries. Huy noted that delegates
had discussed the importance of "networking" and
"intelligence sharing" in order to enhance regional CT
efforts. While the GVN "agreed completely" on the need to
do more of this, Huy admitted that the meeting "did not
discuss concrete implementation steps." (Note: More
concrete measures may emerge from the ASEAN Senior Officials
Meeting on Transnational Crimes -- SOMTC -- in Hanoi June 9-
12 or the SOMTC+US meeting on June 12, which are intended to
flesh out Brunei's Joint Declaration from August 2002. End
note.)
----------------------------
GVN LEADERSHIP ROLE UNLIKELY
----------------------------
5. (SBU) Huy and Anh separately stated that Vietnam was
unlikely to take a leadership role in ASEAN on the CT issue,
however. Huy said that, while Vietnam is "definitely" among
the strongest of the new ASEAN members, taking a leadership
role would send a signal that the GVN considers terrorism a
"major problem" in Vietnam. He commented that GVN leaders
preferred to highlight Vietnam's image as a "safe haven."
Huy admitted that this view "somewhat contradicts" the GVN's
oft-stated view that terrorism does not adhere to any
specific boundaries. However, he opined that the GVN "would
prefer" to leave the leadership role to countries more "at
the forefront of terrorism," such as Indonesia, Malaysia,
and the Philippines. Anh noted that he would be "very
surprised" if Vietnam tried to take a more prominent CT role
within ASEAN. While Vietnam was indeed "part of the ASEAN
CT consensus," Anh predicted that it would not be a GVN
"priority" to take a leadership role on this issue "any time
soon."
------------------------
SUPPORT WITH AN ASTERISK
------------------------
6. (SBU) While Vietnam has reiterated its CT commitment in
various fora, that support typically contains caveats
regarding the need to "respect sovereignty" and ensure "non-
interference" internal affairs. The ASEAN - U.S.
Declaration Against Terrorism similarly noted that "all
actions against terrorism must be taken in accordance with
international laws, as well as in respect for the principle
of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and non-
interference in the internal affairs of all countries." The
North America Studies Center's Anh stressed that Vietnam
"believes strongly" that CT activities should be carried out
in accordance with "the UN Charter."
7. (SBU) The MFA's Huy reaffirmed that the GVN "is also
committed" to ratifying the remaining four international
conventions related to terrorism." MFA Department of Laws
and Treaties Deputy Director General Nguyen Truong Giang
also affirmed this commitment to POL/C in March, without
being able to offer a specific timeframe (ref B). Giang
separately confirmed to poloff that Vietnam plans to accede
to ASEAN's "Agreement on Information Exchange and
Establishment of Communication Procedures" signed last May
by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. "It is only a
matter of time" until Vietnam accedes, he claimed. He
predicted that the GVN will move "relatively quickly" once
the other countries have ratified the agreement.
---------------
PARALLEL TRACKS
---------------
8. (SBU) Huy and Anh each noted that, while Vietnam was
strongly committed to the multilateral/ASEAN CT approach,
the GVN's policy was to also improve cooperation via the
bilateral track. Huy pointed out that recent VIP visits
between ASEAN leaders have invariably included terrorism on
their agendas. He cited the recent visit to Hanoi of Than
Shwe, Senior General and Chairman of Burma's State Peace and
Development Council, as a case in point (ref D). Anh added
that, during Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's
brief visit to Vietnam last November, counterterrorism was
similarly on the agenda during her meetings with the GVN
leadership. Anh said that this "parallel approach" was
"quite normal."
-------
COMMENT
-------
9. (SBU) It is encouraging that the GVN has demonstrated
its commitment to the CT issue within the ASEAN framework
and that CT has become a routine agenda item for senior-
level visits. It is not surprising that Vietnam has shown
little interest in assuming a leadership role on the CT
issue, however; Vietnam tends to play a similar go-along-
with-the-consensus approach on most other issues within
ASEAN as well as in APEC, NAM, and UN fora.
BURGHARDT

Raw content

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000821
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; EAP/RSP; S/CT
E.O. 12958: NA
TAGS: PTER, PREL, VM, ASEAN, ARF, CTERR
SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM: VIETNAM COMMITTED TO WORKING
-- WITH ASEAN BUT LEADERSHIP ROLE UNLIKELY
REF: A. Hanoi 381 B. Hanoi 560 C. Kuala Lumpur 1635
- D. Hanoi 694
1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The GVN views ASEAN as an important
framework for regional counterterrorism (CT) efforts and has
consistently voiced support for regional and multilateral
approaches. From Vietnam's perspective, the recently
concluded ASEAN Regional Forum intersessional meeting on
counterterrorism and transnational crime was "very
successful." However, the GVN does not appear to view a CT
leadership role for itself as "appropriate" for the
foreseeable future. The GVN does appear interested in
further pursuing CT on both multilateral and bilateral
tracks. END SUMMARY.
-----------------------------
COMMITTED TO COUNTERTERRORISM
-----------------------------
2. (U) In past ASEAN fora, Vietnam has demonstrated a firm
commitment to joint action on CT. At the Eighth ASEAN
Summit held in Phnom Penh last November, Prime Minister Phan
Van Khai noted the need for "further cooperation in the
fight against transnational crime, especially terrorism,
which is widely spreading in our region." At the Second
ASEAN Regional Forum Intersessional Support Group Meeting,
held in Hanoi in April 2002, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong
Phung (who co-chaired the meeting) stated the need for ASEAN
to adopt measures "to strengthen regional cooperation in
combating terrorism and transnational crimes." Last July's
35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Joint Communiqu "affirmed
ASEAN member countries' determination to enhance
counterterrorism cooperation. . ." This meeting also
resulted in the "Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat
International Terrorism between ASEAN and the U.S."
3. (SBU) According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs ASEAN
Department (MFA/ASEAN) expert Nguyen Thanh Huy, the GVN "is
fully committed" to the international struggle against
terrorism. (Note: Huy is a focal point for
counterterrorism issues within MFA/ASEAN. End note.) He
assessed the first ASEAN Regional Forum intersessional
meeting on counterterrorism and transnational crime March 20
- 22 in Kuala Lumpur as "very successful" from Vietnam's
perspective. Huy added that the GVN viewed the decision to
establish a regional CT center in Kuala Lumpur (ref c) was a
"major step forward." Huy opined that the meeting also
helped strengthen ASEAN consensus of opposing terrorism in a
"collective way." Separately, Bui Ngoc Anh, Senior
Researcher at the North America Studies Center of the
National Center for Social Sciences and Humanities,
commented that Vietnam had viewed the Kuala Lumpur meeting
as having a "positive impact" and "reinforcing the need" for
a multilateral framework to oppose terrorism.
4. (SBU) In addition to the MFA, the GVN's delegation to
the Kuala Lumpur meeting included officials from the
Ministry Of Defense, Ministry of Public Security, and the
General Customs Department. This was "significant,"
according to Huy (who also attended the meeting), because
delegates from different ministries could (and did) conduct
"considerable sideline conversations" with their respective
counterparts from other countries. Huy noted that delegates
had discussed the importance of "networking" and
"intelligence sharing" in order to enhance regional CT
efforts. While the GVN "agreed completely" on the need to
do more of this, Huy admitted that the meeting "did not
discuss concrete implementation steps." (Note: More
concrete measures may emerge from the ASEAN Senior Officials
Meeting on Transnational Crimes -- SOMTC -- in Hanoi June 9-
12 or the SOMTC+US meeting on June 12, which are intended to
flesh out Brunei's Joint Declaration from August 2002. End
note.)
----------------------------
GVN LEADERSHIP ROLE UNLIKELY
----------------------------
5. (SBU) Huy and Anh separately stated that Vietnam was
unlikely to take a leadership role in ASEAN on the CT issue,
however. Huy said that, while Vietnam is "definitely" among
the strongest of the new ASEAN members, taking a leadership
role would send a signal that the GVN considers terrorism a
"major problem" in Vietnam. He commented that GVN leaders
preferred to highlight Vietnam's image as a "safe haven."
Huy admitted that this view "somewhat contradicts" the GVN's
oft-stated view that terrorism does not adhere to any
specific boundaries. However, he opined that the GVN "would
prefer" to leave the leadership role to countries more "at
the forefront of terrorism," such as Indonesia, Malaysia,
and the Philippines. Anh noted that he would be "very
surprised" if Vietnam tried to take a more prominent CT role
within ASEAN. While Vietnam was indeed "part of the ASEAN
CT consensus," Anh predicted that it would not be a GVN
"priority" to take a leadership role on this issue "any time
soon."
------------------------
SUPPORT WITH AN ASTERISK
------------------------
6. (SBU) While Vietnam has reiterated its CT commitment in
various fora, that support typically contains caveats
regarding the need to "respect sovereignty" and ensure "non-
interference" internal affairs. The ASEAN - U.S.
Declaration Against Terrorism similarly noted that "all
actions against terrorism must be taken in accordance with
international laws, as well as in respect for the principle
of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and non-
interference in the internal affairs of all countries." The
North America Studies Center's Anh stressed that Vietnam
"believes strongly" that CT activities should be carried out
in accordance with "the UN Charter."
7. (SBU) The MFA's Huy reaffirmed that the GVN "is also
committed" to ratifying the remaining four international
conventions related to terrorism." MFA Department of Laws
and Treaties Deputy Director General Nguyen Truong Giang
also affirmed this commitment to POL/C in March, without
being able to offer a specific timeframe (ref B). Giang
separately confirmed to poloff that Vietnam plans to accede
to ASEAN's "Agreement on Information Exchange and
Establishment of Communication Procedures" signed last May
by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. "It is only a
matter of time" until Vietnam accedes, he claimed. He
predicted that the GVN will move "relatively quickly" once
the other countries have ratified the agreement.
---------------
PARALLEL TRACKS
---------------
8. (SBU) Huy and Anh each noted that, while Vietnam was
strongly committed to the multilateral/ASEAN CT approach,
the GVN's policy was to also improve cooperation via the
bilateral track. Huy pointed out that recent VIP visits
between ASEAN leaders have invariably included terrorism on
their agendas. He cited the recent visit to Hanoi of Than
Shwe, Senior General and Chairman of Burma's State Peace and
Development Council, as a case in point (ref D). Anh added
that, during Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's
brief visit to Vietnam last November, counterterrorism was
similarly on the agenda during her meetings with the GVN
leadership. Anh said that this "parallel approach" was
"quite normal."
-------
COMMENT
-------
9. (SBU) It is encouraging that the GVN has demonstrated
its commitment to the CT issue within the ASEAN framework
and that CT has become a routine agenda item for senior-
level visits. It is not surprising that Vietnam has shown
little interest in assuming a leadership role on the CT
issue, however; Vietnam tends to play a similar go-along-
with-the-consensus approach on most other issues within
ASEAN as well as in APEC, NAM, and UN fora.
BURGHARDT

Metadata

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

Print

You can use this tool to generate a print-friendly PDF of the document 03HANOI821_a.

Include summaryInclude headersInclude raw metadata

Share

The formal reference of this document is 03HANOI821_a, please use it for anything written about this document. This will permit you and others to search for it.